On July 29, a representative of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center said that after a period of restoration, from August 1, Hai Van Quan relic site will begin welcoming visitors. Hai Van Quan relic site will be free for residents and tourists until a suitable ticket price list is agreed upon.
Mr. Phan Van Tuan, Deputy Director of the Hue Monuments Conservation Center, said that Hai Van Quan relic will be free of entrance fee in the first period. The free period is to measure the number of visitors, check the effectiveness of reception and explanation at the relic and have more time to receive opinions until the two localities complete the procedures, agree on management and promote the value of the relic according to the law.
After nearly 2 years of restoration and reconstruction, the national relic Hai Van Quan has basically completed important items to almost its original state as a "defensive citadel" of the Nguyen Dynasty.
Previously, at the end of 2021, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center coordinated with the Department of Culture and Sports of Da Nang City to organize the groundbreaking ceremony for the project to preserve, restore, rehabilitate and promote the value of Hai Van Quan relic. The project has a total investment of more than 42 billion VND (of which Da Nang budget is 50% and Thua Thien Hue budget is 50%).
The project has restored the relics based on the original traces; including restoring and replacing the Thanh stone gate foundation, the mortar system, Thanh stone gate, brick walls, etc. and restoring the Nguyen Dynasty citadel walls with mountain stones according to archaeological traces.
Overview of the project to preserve, restore, renovate and promote the value of the Hai Van Quan national relic site with an area of about 6,500 square meters, with a total investment of more than 42 billion VND.
Although the restoration work has been completed and the site is ready to welcome visitors, Hai Van Quan relic site still lacks tourism infrastructure such as parking lots, ticket sales points, work places for tour guides and security guards... In addition, due to its location at an altitude of more than 500m above sea level, the technical infrastructure system has not been invested in synchronously such as: limited phone and internet signals, thin human resources making management difficult.
According to the project, the Hai Van Quan "defensive rampart" system will be restored according to the original vestiges of the Nguyen Dynasty, during the reign of King Minh Mang.
Hai Van Quan is located on the top of Hai Van pass in Lang Co town (Phu Loc district, Thua Thien Hue province) and Hoa Hiep Bac ward (Lien Chieu district, Da Nang city).
This relic was built during the Tran Dynasty and restored during the Nguyen Dynasty (7th year of Minh Mang, 1826). The gate facing Thua Thien Palace has the three words "Hai Van Quan", the gate facing Da Nang has the word "Thien ha de nhat hung quan". At an altitude of 490m above sea level, Hai Van Quan is a military defense complex with many structures including a system of ramparts, warehouses and cannon forts.
Under the Nguyen Dynasty, Hai Van Quan was an important pass, the gateway to the capital Hue from the South. Therefore, the Nguyen Dynasty concentrated large-scale forces and weapons at Hai Van Quan to defend it. This is a project containing many cultural and historical values and is also a famous scenic spot, contributing to the tourism development of Da Nang city and Thua Thien Hue province.
